Social-network enabled review system with subject-owner controlled syndication

Abstract

The embodiments of the present system include a review engine that is connected to support modules and databases that receive, store, and retrieve reviews, based upon the subject and the users' relationship to the authors of the reviews. The review engine comprises a social network engine, a rate and rank engine, a credentials engine and a privacy engine. These engines allow reviews to be sorted, filtered and ordered in terms of relevance when presented to the user. Numerous methods are also provided by the system that receive, store and retrieve reviews.

1. A computer controlled method implemented in a review-provider server comprising:
 receiving by the review-provider server a review request for a reviewed subject, said review request associated with a requesting user; 
 selecting by a review selector module of the review-provider server a review of said reviewed subject responsive to said review request, said review dominated by a subject-owner; 
 applying by the review-provider server one or more functions to said review, said one or more functions controlled by said subject-owner; and 
 sending by the review-provider server said review for presentation to said requesting user, wherein sending said review is responsive to said review request and said one or more functions. 
 
     
     
       2. The computer controlled method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said one or more functions includes one or more selected from a group consisting of marking said review as an editorial review, marking said review as written by an expert user-author, marking said review as authorized by said subject-owner, marking said review responsive to whether an identity of a user-author of said review has been verified, marking said review as certified by a third-party certification agency, marking said review as resulting from a locator code, formatting said review, assigning an access right for said review to said requesting user, and enabling said requesting user to supplement said review. 
     
     
       3. The computer controlled method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said review is one of a plurality of selected reviews of said reviewed subject; said plurality of selected reviews includes a second review; said one or more functions specifies a sort order for sending said review and said second review; and sending said review further comprises sending said second review responsive to said sort order. 
     
     
       4. The computer controlled method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said review is one of a plurality of selected reviews of said reviewed subject and said plurality of selected reviews includes a second review, and further wherein said one or more functions includes filtering said second review such that said second review is not included in sending said review for presentation to said requesting user, and sending said review further comprises sending an indication that said plurality of selected reviews was filtered. 
     
     
       5. The computer controlled method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein sending said review sends at least a portion of said review as a web feed, an HTML document, an XML document, an image containing said portion, or as a web service. 
     
     
       6. An apparatus comprising:
 a database for storing reviews; 
 an interface which accepts as input a review request for a reviewed subject from a requesting user; and 
 a processor that selects a review of said reviewed subject from said database responsive to said review request, wherein said review is dominated by a subject-owner; applies one or more functions controlled by said subject-owner to said review; and sends said review to said interface for presentation to said requesting user, wherein sending said review is responsive to said review request and said one or more functions. 
 
     
     
       7. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said one or more functions include one or more functions selected from a group consisting of marking said review as an editorial review, marking said review as written by an expert user-author, marking said review as authorized by said subject-owner, marking said review responsive to whether an identity of a user-author of said review has been verified, marking said review as certified by a third-party certification agency, marking said review as resulting from a locator code, formatting said review, assigning an access right for said review to said requesting user, and enabling said requesting user to supplement said review. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said review is one of a plurality of selected reviews of said reviewed subject; said plurality of selected reviews includes a second review; said one or more functions specifies a sort order for sending said review and said second review; and sending said review further comprises sending said second review responsive to said sort order. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said review is one of a plurality of selected reviews of said reviewed subject and said plurality of selected reviews includes a second review, and further wherein said one or more functions includes filtering said second review such that said second review is not included in sending said review for presentation to said requesting user, and sending said review further comprises sending an indication that said plurality of selected reviews was filtered. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein sending said review sends at least a portion of said review as a web feed, an HTML document, an XML document, an image containing said portion, or as a web service. 
     
     
       11. An apparatus comprising:
 a database for storing reviews, wherein a subset of reviews may be dominated by a subject-owner; 
 a user interface which allows said subject-owner to apply one or more functions to said subset of reviews dominated by said subject-owner in said database; and 
 a processor that selects a review of said reviewed subject from said database responsive to a review request for said reviewed subject from a requesting user and sends said review to said requesting user, wherein sending said review is responsive to said review request and said one or more functions. 
 
     
     
       12. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said one or more functions include one or more functions selected from a group consisting of marking one or more of said subset of reviews as an editorial review, marking one or more of said subset of reviews as written by an expert user-author, marking one or more of said subset of reviews as authorized by said subject-owner, marking one or more of said subset of reviews responsive to whether an identity of a user-author of one or more of said subset of reviews has been verified, marking one or more of said subset of reviews as certified by a third-party certification agency, marking one or more of said subset of reviews as resulting from a locator code, formatting one or more of said subset of reviews, assigning an access right for one or more of said subset of reviews to said requesting user, and enabling said requesting user to supplement one or more of said subset of reviews. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said review is one of a plurality of selected reviews of said reviewed subject; said plurality of selected reviews includes a second review; said one or more functions specifies a sort order for sending said review and said second review; and sending said review further comprises sending said second review responsive to said sort order. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said review is one of a plurality of selected reviews of said reviewed subject and said plurality of selected reviews includes a second review, and further wherein said one or more functions includes filtering said second review such that said second review is not included in sending said review to said requesting user, and sending said review further comprises sending an indication that said plurality of selected reviews was filtered. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein sending said review sends at least a portion of said review as a web feed, an HTML document, an XML document, an image containing said portion, or as a web service. 
     
     
       16. An apparatus comprising:
 means for receiving a review request for a reviewed subject, said review request associated with a requesting user; 
 means for selecting a review of said reviewed subject responsive to said review request, said review dominated by a subject-owner; 
 means for applying one or more functions to said review, said one or more functions controlled by said subject-owner; and 
 means for sending said review for presentation to said requesting user, wherein sending said review is responsive to said review request and said one or more functions. 
 
     
     
       17. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein said one or more functions include one or more functions selected from a group consisting of marking said review as an editorial review, marking said review as written by an expert user-author, marking said review as authorized by said subject-owner, marking said review responsive to whether the identity of a user-author of said review has been verified, marking said review as certified by a third-party certification agency, marking said review as resulting from a locator code, formatting said review, assigning an access right for said review to said requesting user, and enabling said requesting user to supplement said review. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein said review is one of a plurality of selected reviews of said reviewed subject; said plurality of selected reviews includes a second review; said one or more functions specifies a sort order for sending said review and said second review; and sending said review further comprises sending said second review responsive to said sort order. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein said review is one of a plurality of selected reviews of said reviewed subject and said plurality of selected reviews includes a second review, and further wherein said one or more functions includes filtering said second review such that said second review is not included in sending said review for presentation to said requesting user, and sending said review further comprises sending an indication that said plurality of selected reviews was filtered. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein sending said review sends at least a portion of said review as a web feed, an HTML document, an XML document, an image containing said portion, or as a web service.